Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1058681
B ~round of the Invention
This invention relates to a roller bracket assembly
for supporting a drawer for in-and-out sliding in an opening in a
cabinet. The invention has more particular reference to a bracket
assembly of the type including a generally planar mounting plate which
supports horizontally spaced rollers and which may be attached to the
cabinet adjacent one side of the opening so that the rollers may engage
and support the drawer for sliding movement between open and closed
positions relative to the opening.
~'
q~
--I--
1058681
As shown in Anderson et al United States Patent No.
3, 716, 279, one bracket of the foregoing type is particularly adapted
for mounting on the face frame of the cabinet with the rear~vard end
portion of the bracket extending freely into the cabinet, the forward
end portion of the bracket being secured to a vertica~ member of the
face frame such as by means of screws which extend through screw-
receiving openings for ned through the bracket. Bosses protruding
outwardly from the bracket from around the openings extend into the
vertical face frame member to aid in supporting the bracket within the
cabinet.
Summary of the Invention
The primary aim of the present invention is to provide
a new and improved bracket assembb of the foregoing general character
in which the unsupported rearward end portion of the bracket is kept
from shifting lateralLy in service use so that the bosses are kept from
chewing into the wood of the face frame to cause Loosening of the bracket
within the cabinet. A more detailed object is to achieve the foregoing
by constructing the bracket so that rearward end portion of the bracket
is kept from easily being moved in an outward direction relative to the
~orward end portion once the latter is secured to the face frame.
A further object of the present invention is to construct
the bracket 90 that it may be used within a cabinet in which the drawer
opening has either rounded or square corners.
The invention also resides in the novel construction
of the bracket to include two generally pLanar wing3 extending generally
perpendicular to each other to provide a connection between the bracket
and both the horizontal and vertical mernbers of the face frame.
Still further, the invention resides in the provision of
an upset and incLined corner portion on the horizontal wing of the
1058681
bracket to facilitate quick and easy mounting of the wing on the
horizontal member of the face frame.
Also, the invention resides in the provision of a
rearwardly elongated fastener-receiving opening within the inclined
corner portion so as to provide for easy lateral positioning of the
vertical wing of the bracket when being installed in the cabinet.
In brief, the invention involves a roller bracket assembly
adapted to support a drawer for in and out sliding in an opening in a
cabinet and adapted to be mounted in the cabinet from the front of the
10 opening, said opening being defined by top and bottom frame members
and by two side frame members, said bracket assembly comprising a
vertical wing having forward and rearward end portions, rollers
journaled on the inner sides of said end portions to rotate about first
and second horizontal axes, two vertically spaced fastener-receiving
openings formed in said forward end portion, bosses protruding from
the outer side of said forward end portion around said openings and
adapted to be inserted into holes in one of said side frame members,
a horizontal wing extending inwardly from the lower margin of said
vertical wing, a third fastener-receiving opening formed through said
20 horizontal wing within the forward end portion thereof and adjacent the
inner edge of said horizontal wing, said third opening being elongated
in a fore-and-aft direction and being adapted to overlie said bottom
frame member, and a tab formed integrally with and depending from
the extreme forward edge of said horizontal wing adjacent said third
opening, said tab defining the forwardmost part of said bracket assembly,
said tab being adapted to engage the forward side of said bottom frame
member.
These and other objects and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
$q description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
~ -3-
-
105868~
Brief DescriDtion of the Drawin~s
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet equipped
with new and improved roller bracket asseml31ies embodying the novel
features of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the bracket
assemblies .
FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional
view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view
lO of the bracket assembly showing the assembly mounted within the
cabinet.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary plan view of the
bracket assembly showing it mounted within the cabinet.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional
view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FM. 5.
Detailed DescriDtion of the Preferred Embodiment
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration,
the invention i8 embodied in a roller bracket assembly 10 adapted to
be mounted within a cabinet 11 adjacent an opening 13 therein and
20 serving to support a drawer 14 for in-and-out sliding in the opening.
-3A -
' - 1058681
One bracket assembly is located at each side of the opening and, in this
instance, the assemblies are attached to the inside edges of the opposed
upright members 15 of the cabinet face frame. Secured to each bracket
are two horizontally spaced and horizontally extending axles 16 which
journal small anti-friction rollers 17 and 18. The latter fit within a
channel-like track 19 (see FIG. 1) secured to the side of the drawer
and thus support the drawer for relatively friction~free sliding within
the cabinet. A dip or so-called "down ramp" 20 is fo~ned intermediate
the ends of each track so that, when the drawer is pushed rearwardly
into the cabinet a predete~ined distance, the down ramps ride across
the rear rollers 18 and enable gravity to close the drawer automatically
to a fully shut position. To avoid frictionaL contact between the track
and the bracket assembly during sliding of the drawer, the rollers are
supported on raised opposite end portions 21 of a rearwardly extending
support rib 23 fo~ned along the inner side 24 of the bracket. ~n
... . _.. .
additional but narrower support rib 25 extends along the bracket adjacent
the upper edge 27 thereof and is slanted downwardly toward the larger
rib upon progressing from the forward end 28 toward the rearward end
32 of the bracket.
As shown in FIG. 3, each bracket assembly 10 is
attached to the vertical face frame member 15 by wood screws 29 or
suitable fasteners which are received in a pair of vertically spaced
holes 30 formed in the frame member. In addition, circular screw-
receiving holes 31 are fo~ned in the forward end portion of the bracket
and include protruding bosses 33 which may fit into the holes 30 to
help securely anchor the bracket assembly on the face frame. Herein,
the circular openings or holes 31 in the bracket are located just
rearwardly of the forward end 28 of the bracket and just for~,vardly of the
axle 16 of the adjacent roller 17 (see FIG. 4). The bosses 33 are
-- 1058681
cylindricaL and coaxial with the hoLes 31 and protrude a short distance
outwardly from the outer side 22 of the bracket. The bosses are
integral with the bracket and are formed as an incident to stamping
the bracket.
When mounting the bracket assemtiLy 10 in the
cabinet 11, the bosses 33 may be fitted snugly into counter bores 34
(see FIG. 3) of the holes 30 and then the bracket assembLy may be
anchored to the vertical face irame member 15 by driving the screws
29 throug~a the holes 31 and into the holes 30. As a result of the bosses,
the bracket is held in place on the frame member not only by the
clamp~ng and frictional force exerted by the screws but also by the
bosses bearing in shear against the material fo~ing the walls of the
counter bores.
In accordance with the primary aspect of the pre~ent
hvention, the bo9ses 33 are kept from chew~ng into the wood of the
.. . ...
~rertical face frame member 15 and loosening the bracket assembly 10
within the cabinet 11 by constructing the assembly so that the unsupported
rearward end portion thereof is kept from shifting laterally in service
use. For these purposes, the bracket assembly includes two generally
plaDar wing members 35 and 36 connected together and extending
generally perpendicular to each other. The rollers 17 and 18 are
journaled on the upright wing 35 with the screw or fastener-receiving
openings 31 and bosses 33 being formed in the forward end portion of
such wing. The horizontal wing 36 extends inwardly from adjacent
the vertical face frame member 15 for connection to a horizontal face
frame member 37 by means of a fastener 39 such as a screw extending
through a fastener-receiving opening 40 which is fo~ed in the forward
end portion of the horizontal wing. As a resuLt of this construction, a
~olid three-point connection may be made between the bracket and the
- 1058681
face frame of the cabinet so as to keep the rearward end portion of the
bracket assembly from shifting latPral!y within the cabinet and eventual~y
causing the assernbly to loosen.
In the present instance, the horizontaL wing 36 i~
a generally triangular member including an inner edge 41 slanted
outwardly, that is, toward the upright wing 35 upon progressing
rearwardLy from the for vard end portion of the bracket assembly 10.
The upright wing is connected integrally with the horizontal wing by way
of a slanted intermediate paneL 43 extending downward~y and inwardly
from the lower edge 44 of the upright wing to the outer edge 45 of the
horizontal wing so as to lie within a plane forming a forty-five degree
angle with respect to vertical. ~hree spaced support ribs 46 extending
across the rearward end portion of the panel and into the verticaL and
horizontal wings serve to keep the wings from being easily bent out of
their norrnal positions with respect to each other and with respect to
the panel. By virtue of this construction, the connection between the two
wings is spaced inwardly from the projected corner between the two wings
without any loss of strength so as to enabLe the bracket to be mounted
easily on the face frame even within opening~ 13 having rounded instead
of square corners.
To keep the rearward end portion of the bracket
assembly 10 from swinging outwardb with~n the cabinet 11, a generally
rectangular tab 47 formed integrally with the ~orward edge 49 of the
horizontal wing 36 and adjacent the fastener-receiving ope~i~g 40. The
tab projects downwardly from the wing in a substantial-y perpendicular
direction relative thereto so the rearward surface 41 of the tab engages
with the front surface of the horizontal face frame member 37 (see
FIG. 6). In this way, the forward end portion of the bracket is kept
from pivoting rearwardly relative to the vertical member 15 of the
( 1058681
face frame and this, in turn, keeps the rearward end portion oi the
bracket from being moved lateraLLy outward ~,vithin the cabinet.
In accordance with another important aspect of the
present invention, instalLation of the bracket 10 in the cabinet 11 is
made easier by virtue of iorming the fastener-receiving opening 40
in the horizontal wing 36 through an upset corner portion 50 at the
inner, forward end corner of the horizontal wing. Advar~tageousLy,
the upper surface 51 of the upset corner is incLined upwardLy from the
plane of the wing upon progressing rearwardly from the front edge 49.
As a result, the screw 39 which extend~ through the o?ening may be
turned into the horizontal face frarne member 37 on an angle with
respect to vertical so that the upper edge of the cabinet opening 13
avoids interferring with the driver used to tighten down the screw.
Herein, the incline of the upper surface of such corner portion forms
an angle of approximately three degree9 with respect to horizontal.
When the screw is tightened down, the under~ide 53 of the head 54 of
the screw (see FIG. 6) abut9 flatly again9t the inclined surface around
the opening so as to provide a solid connection between the wing and
the frame member 37. In addition, a peripheral ridge 55 is fo~ed
ao integrally with the underside 56 of the wing and projects downwardly
therefrom and around the opening 40 so that the Lower edge of the ridge
lie~ within the plane of the under~ide of the wing for solid engagement
with the upper surface of the horizontal face frame member when the
æcrew is tightened down.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, to aid in positioning
the bracket 10 parallel with another similar bracket on the opposite
side of the cabinet opening 13, the fastener-receiving opening 40 in
the horizontal wing is elongated rearwardly with the length of the
opening being substantiaLly longer than its width. Accordingly, before
1058681
tightening the screw 39 snugly against the wing 36, the elon~ated
opening 40 permits the rearward end portion of the bracket to be
moved sLightly inwardly or outwardly to adjust the position of the
upright wing 35 of the bracket on one side of the cabinet opening to
parallel the corresponding wing of the bracket on the other side of
the cabinet opening.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the
present invention brmgs to the art a new and improved bracket
assembly 10 which is adapted particularly for quick and easy mounting
within different types of cabinet openings 13 and which is constructed
advantageously to avoid becom~g loose within the cabinet in service
use. The two perpendicular wings 35 and 36 of the as9embly provide
for sturdy fastening of the bracket assembly to the face frame of the
cabinet 11, while the slanted panel 43 connected between the two wings
enables the bracket to be u9ed in cabinet openings having either rounded
or square corner9. In addition, the depending tab 47 from the horizontal
wing 36 serves as a stop to keep the rearward end portion of the bracket
assembly from being swung outwardly to cause the bosses 33 to wear
in the vertical member 15 of the face frame. Moreover, the inclined
surface 51 of the upset corner portion S0 permits easy positioning of a
driver to turn the screw 39 into the horizontal face frame member 37
while also providing for a solid connection between the horizontal wing
and the screw head 54 for secure fastening of the wing to such mem~er.
